Sometimes It's Hard To See The Rainbow
by AnUnholyAmountOfPasta
Summary: Romance is beginning to blossom between Lily and James, then tragedy strikes. Their coping strategies leave them with a long list of other problems.


The corridors were cold and empty, the darkness only broken by the occasional passing of one of the shimmering pearlescent ghosts drifting through the walls. It was deep into a windy March night and so Hogwarts was still and silent as most of the students and teachers slumbered in their beds, their problems lost to dreams. The third floor corridor looked bare and as devoid of activity as all the other corridors; any passerby would never have even noticed the frantic argument occurring inside the broom cupboard, thanks to the muffling spell and the towels stuffed across the door crack to hide the light.

However, inside, two Gryffindor seventh years were having one of the worst nights of their short lives.

"Sirius, please," Lily begged, tears dripping down her cheeks as she wrung her hands desperately, "You can't tell him!"

Her companion threw up his hands and fixed the red-head with a furious glare. "He's my best friend, my brother and you want me to-" he broke off mid-sentence and slammed his palm into the cupboard door. "Merlin, Lily! How could you be so fucking _stupid_? I mean, _you,_ of all people!"

"I-It just happened, it was an accident." The light from her wand glinted in her tears and she let out a soft hiccup as she brushed them away with the side of her hand. "I don't know... it just happened. I don't know what to do."

He snorted, though his expression softened minutely at her obvious misery. "James has a right to know."

"Please, just let me get this sorted out first and then I'll tell him everything, I promise," she begged. "Please, Sirius. I need you to keep this between us for a little while longer, just for another day or two-"

He was already shaking his head. "No way. You need to tell him tonight, or I will. I won't keep this from him anymore, I won't keep lying to him."

"Sirius, I..." Lily trailed off, and ran a hand through her messy red locks. "I just need some time. Don't make me beg you."

He remained silent for a few minutes, scowling at the floor as he thought. Eventually he looked back up at her. "Fine. I'll keep the act going for a little while longer but you should know that if he asks me... I'm not going to lie to him for you again. He's going to be furious enough as it is when he finds out I knew before he did." He scratched his stubbled chin and let out a weary sigh. "Come on, you need to get some sleep."

 **\- TWO MONTHS EARLIER -**

"We're throwing a party." Sirius Black, seventh year, founding father of the Marauders and self-proclaimed King of the Gryffindors, made this announcement with glee and anticipation at least once a week. This week it fell on a rainy Thursday afternoon, and this week the announcement would be met with the same response it had met on all the other rainy Thursday afternoons: the sound of a book snapping firmly shut while stern eyes rose to meet pleading puppy-dog ones from the armchair across the room.

"No, we aren't," Lily Evans announced, equally loudly, causing the group of fourth year boys who had started chattering excitedly nearby to collectively groan.

"Like you would have been invited anyway," Sirius scoffed at them. Turning his attentions back to Lily, he tried his best innocent expression. "C'mon, Evans, it's tradition for the seventh years to have a little get together the last night before the holidays. I'd have thought, as Head Girl, you of all people would want to keep up our noble traditions."

"A little get together? So tea, biscuits, talk about future ambitions, exciting holiday plans, that kind of thing?" she asked, raising her eyebrows. "Funny, I don't think I've heard of that particular tradition."

"Exactly! Tea, biscuits, all very la-di-da. It'll be very high brow, Evans, the epitome of class, which I think we can all agree: I am an expert in," he said earnestly, glancing at his friend for support. Sitting cross-legged on the floor and glaring at his charms homework, James Potter scratched his nose with his quill and said absent-mindedly:

"Padfoot, you saved up your toenail clippings from last night just so that you could enchant them to bounce off the back of Avery's head all morning."

"He should have felt honoured that a wizard of my bearing decided to bestow some of their essence on him. It didn't really work anyway; they kept getting stuck in his hair," Sirius said ruefully.

"Couldn't have happened to a nicer bloke," Lily said, drily, fighting a smile despite herself. "But my answer stands, Sirius; no parties."

Sirius nudged James in the back of the head, causing him to squawk out in pain as the nib of the quill made a sudden, painful entrance up his left nostril. "Whose side are you on, anyway?"

James huffed, gingerly rubbing the tip of his nose. Inspecting his fingers for any traces of blood, he replied, "Personally, I agree with Evans."

Sirius immediately started to protest loudly and colourfully, Lily narrowed her eyes and fixed her fellow Head with a suspicious stare. "You do?"

He nodded non-chalantly, going back to his Charms essay. He could feel her gaze still burning into the back of his head and he allowed himself a small smile. His best friend, however, was not so kind.

"This is your doing! Ever since you two started getting all cosy! You... You... You've CHANGED him!" Sirius hissed, brandishing a half-chewed Liquorice Wand at Lily. Grabbing hold of James, he pulled his head around - eliciting another squawk of pain - and stared deeply into his eyes, announcing to the room, "He's not the same! I'm telling you all, she's done something to this once fine upstanding man! The James Potter I knew would never have said no to such a fantastic - nay, brilliant! - idea!"

"Let go of me, you lunatic!"

"And now here this imposter sits among us, writing down his hideous plans, probably to brainwash, and/or murder us all in our beds!"

"How's he going to brainwash you in your bed?" Lily scoffed. "Whisper sweet nothings into your ear as you sleep?"

Sirius ignored her and ripped the parchment from James' hands with a dramatic flourish, playing to his audience of giggling fifth year girls. "A-ha! Let's see what this evil mastermind is plotting...hmm..." he frowned suspiciously at James then pocketed the parchment, "Seems clean, I'd better confiscate it just to be sure."

"Prick," James muttered, throwing his quill at him. "That took me ages."

"Sharing is caring, Prongs." Sirius swung his gangly legs down from the couch and stretched. "Now, if you'll excuse me, I have things to do, parties to plan..."

"Sirius!" Lily warned.

Holding up his hands placatingly, Sirius backed up to the portrait hole. "The epitome of class, Evans! I'll even make sure Pete keeps his trousers on the whole night this time."

And with that, he was gone and peace settled down on the Gryffindor common room once more. Lily shook her head.

"He's incorrigible."

"And proud," James added with a smile. Getting up from the floor, he flopped down onto the couch Sirius had just vacated. "What are you reading?"

"Emma," she replied, holding up the cover for him to see.

"A muggle author? What's it about?"

The two settled into easy conversation; something that was typical of the last few months. When Lily had first gotten her letter during the summer announcing that she was to be Head Girl, and James Potter was to be her counterpart, her heart had sunk to her boots. The next day, a handsome tawny owl had arrived on her windowsill, carrying a polite and surprisingly neatly printed letter offering a truce. She had deliberated over her response for a couple of days before accepting his offer of harmony. They'd written back and forth intermittently over the summer and she had started to relax as she began to realise that perhaps he wasn't the idiotic show-off he played to everyone else. They'd spoken for an hour after the Prefects' meeting on the Hogwarts Express (much to Sirius' dismay) and things had just... blossomed from there.

James Potter was her friend: a sentence she thought would never cross her mind. Yet here they were, sitting talking about books at a normal volume, like normal people, no insults being thrown or wands drawn. It was nice.

"Oh, you've got a little ink on your nose," Lily said with a smile.

James huffed and rubbed at it with his sleeve. "Gone?"

"A little to the left."

"There?"

"No, hold on, I'll show you." She moved over to the seat on the couch next to him and lightly touched the side of his nose. "There."

James felt his heart speeding up and swallowed. "Oh... thanks."

She let her hand drop to her side and offered an awkward smile. "Welcome."

He could lean over and kiss her now... she was right there, giving out all the right signals... He licked his lips nervously. She was so close he could smell her strawberry shampoo. He started to move closer and noticed with a jolt of anticipation that she didn't move away. All he had to do was move just a little closer and...

"Potter!"

With a groan of disappointment, James pulled away and turned to glare ferociously at the sixth year who had rudely interrupted them. "What do you want?"

"Professor Dumbledore wants to see you in his office. You too, Evans."

James turned back to Lily. "Did we have a Heads meeting scheduled with him today?"

"Um, not that I know of," she replied, looking a little flushed. "We'd better go and see what he wants."


End file.
